Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-06-30
THE NORTHWEST
lAQUEER STORY.
ROMANCE IN THE MURDER OF A
FARMER TWENTY-FIVE
YEARS AGO.
A Girls Accusation ofa Ministers Son
Whom She Loved Vainly.
His Refusal to Plead an Alibi, and
why-The Truth Came Out in the
Suicide of the Murderer-The
Woman Just Dead.
baltimore Cor. New York World. !

Woman Just Dead.
[BaltlmOre Cor. New York world.l
A story of very exceptional interest
an incident in real life more peculiar
even than the plot of "Far From the
Madding Crowd"-is given in Harris
burg PENN dispatch to the american.
A local paper of that city mentioned
the death of woman named Ellen
Gray in Omaha, and noted the fact that
her life, to her intimates there, seemed
to have been connected with some my
stery. The correspondent now gives
the curious details. The publication OF
her death, he says, recalls a crime COM
mitted many years ago, in which she
was central figure.
One night in March, 1882, farmer
named Heymann left the town, where
during the day he had disposed of lot
of sheep. He carried the proceeds of
his sales in heavy leathern saddle-bags.
The money was mostly In coin. Hey
mann did not go armed, but rode from
town little under the influence of
liquor, but not drunk enough to call
attention to the fact. AS he lived but
twenty miles from the market, he ex-
pected to reach home about midnight.
But when the morning dawned Edward
Heymann was still absent from his
farm. His horse stood at the stable
door, but the saddle-bags were missing,
which gave rise to the suspicion of foul
play. .
r'Ata distance of five miles from home
the body of Heymann was found lying
by the roadside, and not far away lay
the saddle-bags rihed of their contents.
The murderer in his haste to get the
money had cut his way to it instead of
unbuckling the straps. The farmer
when found was dead. One side of his
skull had been crushed as If by blow
from bludgeon or some murderous
weapon of that sort, and his pockets,
like the saddle-bags, had been emptied.
Though the country was secured for
the perpetrators of the deed no traces
were discovered; but clew was sud-
denly furnished In startling manner.
ELLEN GRAY's STORY.
The body of the farmer had been dis
covered not far from farmhouse oc-
cupied by family named Gray, which
consisted of the parents and two chill
dren. Ellen Gray came forward and
desired to make statement, which, she
said, had tortured her ever since the
night of the murder. The girl stated
that she was up at the hour of half-past
eleven on the night of the murder, and
that she heard horse coming down the
frosty road from the direction of Harris
burg. Not regarding the sound of any.
moment she was about to re-enter the
house, when she heard an oath, follow
by fall and grOan. Then she heard
q name uttered twice in q tone of
mingled agony and supplication. A
moment later the sound of hoofs came
to her ears, and the horse seemed to be
galloping toward the Heymann farm.
1t was believed that the name which
she had heard was that of the murder
er, which had fallen from the lips of the
victim before insensibility or death fol-
lowed the blow. The girl visibly hesi-
tated when asked by the Magistrate to
pronounce the name. She covered her
face with her hands and in all proba-
bility would have fallen If she had not
been supported by her brother Hiram.
She did not like to utter the name that
might doom one of the young men of
her acquaintance to the gallows, for she
could not believe him guilty, yet she
had heard Edward Heymann call on
him to spare his life. She was pressed
to mention the name aud further the
ends of justice, in which the whole
country was interested and at last her
lips parted.
"God help him and pity me" she
said. "The name heard was Abner
Tenney's."
If a thunderbolt had fallen into the
crowd astonishment would not have
been more complete. Men started at
the name, and women uttered cries that
added to the confusion. Standing near
the witness was young man of FIVE
and-twenty, the only son of a minister
who watched over the little flock of his
believers that worshiped in the village
church hard by, and youth of ex-
emplary habits to the outer world. His
face was as pale as death, and, at the
mention of his name, he started back
with cay. and found all eyes fixed
upon him. la
His name was Abner Tenney.
He made no effort to escape, but was
formally arrested on Ellen Gray's state
ment and brought to the bar Of justice.
lie denied the crime, but aStonished
every body with his answer to the in
quiry concerning his whereabouts the
night of the crime.
REFUSING TO PLEAD AN ALIBI.
II admit that / was not at home, but
where was on that night l will not
tell" N
This answer was twisted, as it could
easily be by the excited community,
into broad strands of guilt, and the
young man was remanded by the
Magistrate for regular trial at the
next term of Court.
There were few who believed that
he might be innocent. When it be-
came generally known that he was O
suitor for Eva Heymann's hand with
out the sanction Of her father, revenge
was added to the motive of murder
Ellen Gray's word was believed She
u - I'll a 49,. 1.